Astrology is a curious field. An abundance of the previous research has been done simply to disprove the field. The previous research will state that there is no scientific background to astrology. Scientists say that horoscopes are so vague that they could fit anyone in any of the astrological signs: Aquarius, Aries, Cancer, Capricorn, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Pisces, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Taurus, or Virgo. Ivan Kelly, a psychologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada, said a horoscope could state that a person is incredibly intelligent and wildly creative. But just about all people would most likely consider themselves intelligent and creative. "Have you ever met anybody who describes himself as stupider than usual or less creative than average?", Kelly said. (CCCIIITTTEEE) Basically the assumption is that astrology is a hoax. Even if you may agree with the assumption that astrology holds no factual basis, other views cannot afford to be dismissed. Despite all the focus on disproving astrology, there are other aspects of the field that are just as important. For example, where did this practice and it's beliefs originate? And, perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of astrology, it's believers. Why do so many people continue to believe in something that has so much research behind it suggesting that there is no scientific basis? In this article, I will address these questions by exploring both sides: The side that supports the works of astrology, and the side that opposes it. I will also explore how astrology began and how it got to be what people know it as today. Finally, I will evaluate astrology as the belief system that it is and shed some light on why people support what seems to be such a make-believe field. Literature Review:
There is no doubt that the research opposing the factuality of astrology is vast. There are studies, imput from professionals all over the world, and kinks in the inner workings of the field that all point to astrology's downfall as a science. One example of such research was done by science teacher, Karen Samfield and sixty-four of her high school students. After partnering up with with an editor from Jr. Skeptic magazine, Samfield had the students examine newspaper horoscopes every day for two weeks. Each day, Samfield showed them the 12 horoscope readings, one for each astrological sign, from the daily newspaper. However, instead of the sign name represtenting each horoscope, a numder did. Students were then asked to pick the number of the horoscope that most accurately described their day. If the number of the horoscope that they chose matched up with what their actual zodiac sign was, they marked it as a "hit". If the number did not match up, they marked it as a "miss". So what did Samfield's students' study show? The students' experiment came up with 21 hits out of 246 tries, or about 1 hit for every 12 tries. This would mean that astrological horoscopes were inaccurate an overwhelming majority of the time. (CCCIIITTTEEE)
Aside from studies being done to disprove the application of astrology, there is also evidence that the system itself is flawed. To explain: The zodiac is divided into twelve equal parts called "signs". Each sign is represented by one of the twelve constellations and as astrologers say, the sun is "in" each sign for roughly thirty days. "According to this table, a person born November 10 is born under the sign of Scorpio the Scorpion. But when we look at the night sky on November 10, the Sun is not in the constellation Scorpius - it's in Libra the Scales." (CCCIIITTTEEE) This brings forth a problem that can be explained by something called "precession". Precession is the gravitational influence that the Sun and Moon have on the Earth's axis, and it is responsible for the flaw with the signs. Since about 2,200 years ago - when the signs were determined - the constellations have shifted almost 25°. Most modern astrologers will probably dismiss the impact of precession and will tell you that it's the signs that are important, not the constellations. But, without the constellations, where do the signs get their magical powers? (CCCIIITTTEEE) This flaw gives rise to countless questions like this one, as it should. How can one believe in something when there is so much evidence to discredit it? To understand why astrology continues to hold a wide band of followers, one needs to understand it's history. Historical Background:
With all of the research and studies stating that astrology has no scientific background, it can be hard to remember that the field does have a history that people can believe in. Within the history, facts and concrete knowledge can be found that showcase astrology's scientific basis.
The Greeks are usually credited with the birth of astrology. However, the mystical science can be traced all the way back to about 3000 B.C. It is in the very beginning of human civilization where astrology first took it's formation. So who should we really give the credit to? The Babylonians.
The Babylonians were the first to look to the sky and it's constellations for answers. "Babylonian priests were regularly called upon to use their connections with the gods to predict the future, and their two principle means of doing this were inspecting the liver of a specially-sacrificed animal and reading omens in the sky." (http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/skepticism/blfaq_astro_history.htm) So even in the beginning, astrology was an odd combination of religion, science, and a form of belief system. Along with being the first people to find an oracular system in the sky, they were also the ones to create the zodiac calendar that is still in use today. They divided the zodiac into twelve parts and assigned a constellation named after an animal or human to each of the parts. This created what we call "signs". As the Earth goes around it's usual orbit, the Sun would appear to pass through each of the twelve signs. The babylonians then applied this to the twelve month calendar they had created, and the zodiac calendar was born. So if someone was born on December 12th, they would say that the sun is "in" the zodiac sign Sagittarius. Although an odd field, Astrology became very popular and so began the spread.
The Greeks took a hold of what astrology was and ran with it. "They (The Greeks) evolved the belief that the position of the sun and the planets also had an effect on a person's life and what future events would happen to them can be predicted based upon their location." (http://horoscope.findyourfate.com/horoscope-history.htm) For example, while the Sun was "in" the zodiac sign Taurus the Bull, the Greeks would perhaps make the assumption that people would be hard to deal with or stubborn. Or maybe that hard times are to come. This is where we see astrology evolving into what we know it as today.
After the Greeks, astrology spread to the Arabs and Eqytians and before long, the whole world. Every place, adding it's own touch or spin on the field. Believers:
It has been estimated that 84 million people in America alone believe in astrology. For a field that has so much criticism, it is nevertheless popular with the public. It has a vast number of followers that just keeps growing. So, why do people believe in astrology? According to astrologist, Michael E. Bakich, there are five reasons:
1. From a psychological standpoint, astrology has a strong appeal.
2. Astrology provides a way out for those who hate to make decisions.
3. Those who practice astrology often feel in possession of secret, esoteric knowledge.
4. Astrology is available to answer the perplexing questions of everyday life.
5. The strongest reason for astrology's persistence is money.
Astrology's psychological appeal is geared towards people who take an interest in learning about themselves. And since this is known as the "me" generation, that accounts for a large amount of people in this world. Horoscopes are usually equipt with a personality description for each of the astrological signs. For example, those under the sign of Leo are generally said to be powerful, confident, and ambixious. They sound like pretty good characteristics, don't they? People love to hear positive things about themselves and astrology puts into words what people think about themselves in their heads and that's what draws most people in.
Another appealing aspect of believing in astrology would be believing that decisions could simply be based on astrological observations. Instead of having the burden of making difficult decisions by one's self, astrology's believers look to the sky for guidance. As an example, say your two friends were in an argument. Both friends want you to side with them, and you don't know what to do. Well, instead of making that decision on your own, you read your horoscope for that day and it happens to mention something about nuetrality. So you decide, with the help of astrology, to stay out of the fued. A hard decision just got a lot easier and that is what some find most useful in believing in astrology.
For some, the belief in Astrology makes them feel as if they hold some secret truth about the universe. For these people, the belief in astrology fills a sort of religious void. This is why it is important to consider other aspects of the field other than it's scientific background. If someone was to criticize one's religion choice of Christianity for example, saying that it wasn't real based on it's scientific background, we would deem that person completely insensitive and unaccepting. This has to hold true for astrology as well, as it is a belief system to some of it's followers.
Astrology also offers to it's followers a system to answer all of life's perplexing question. More than often, business, family, and relationship issues are addressed in horoscope readings. Most readings will suggest what business ventures to take for each of the signs. Astrology also gives insight to family life and instead of choosing a spose for yourself, your horoscope narrows down your options based on what signs would be compatable with your own. This is reason enough for some to believe in astrology.
Another contributing factor to astrology's popularity is all of the money being poured into the field. Astrologers that get paid six figures a year to read the stars and make predictions, thousands of books are being sold, horoscope readings fly off the shelves, and it adds up. For some, this is what gives people a reason to believe in astrology. If you can invest money into it, then it must be real. Results/Findings:
To better understand astrology, one must not only take into account the research that has been done to dismiss it's scientific basis, but other aspects as well. After exploring some of these other aspects, one will realize that although a majority of scientists agree that astrology is a hoax, people continue to support it. This shows that the emphasis must not be put on the factuality of astrology, but on the people who believe in it and why they do. I, myself have realized this and have conducted a survey of my own to illustrate this point.
When thirty Bloomsburg University students were asked, "do you believe in astrology?", the results were as follows:
Eighty percent of the polled students believe in astrology. This shows that like the research suggests, it is a popular field.
On the subject of why people believe in the field, Bloomsburg students responded:
As illustrated above, the most popular reasons to believe in astrology were to learn about one's self, to answer life questions, and to fill a religious void.
The most number of people stated that they believe in astrology to learn more about themselves. This is easily understandable because this generation is referred to as the "me" generation. One quality of a person in the "me" generation is taking an interest in yourself, and since astrology is very personality focused, it comes as no surprise that a great number of people believe in the field for that reason alone.
Astrology is a curious field. An abundance of the previous research has been done simply to disprove the field. The previous research will state that there is no scientific background to astrology. Scientists say that horoscopes are so vague that they could fit anyone in any of the astrological signs: Aquarius, Aries, Cancer, Capricorn, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Pisces, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Taurus, or Virgo. Ivan Kelly, a psychologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada, said a horoscope could state that a person is incredibly intelligent and wildly creative. But just about all people would most likely consider themselves intelligent and creative. "Have you ever met anybody who describes himself as stupider than usual or less creative than average?", Kelly said. (CCCIIITTTEEE) Basically the assumption is that astrology is a hoax. Even if you may agree with the assumption that astrology holds no factual basis, other views cannot afford to be dismissed. Despite all the focus on disproving astrology, there are other aspects of the field that are just as important. For example, where did this practice and it's beliefs originate? And, perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of astrology, it's believers. Why do so many people continue to believe in something that has so much research behind it suggesting that there is no scientific basis? In this article, I will address these questions by exploring both sides: The side that supports the works of astrology, and the side that opposes it. I will also explore how astrology began and how it got to be what people know it as today. Finally, I will evaluate astrology as the belief system that it is and shed some light on why people support what seems to be such a make-believe field.
Literature Review:
There is no doubt that the research opposing the factuality of astrology is vast. There are studies, imput from professionals all over the world, and kinks in the inner workings of the field that all point to astrology's downfall as a science. One example of such research was done by science teacher, Karen Samfield and sixty-four of her high school students. After partnering up with with an editor from Jr. Skeptic magazine, Samfield had the students examine newspaper horoscopes every day for two weeks. Each day, Samfield showed them the 12 horoscope readings, one for each astrological sign, from the daily newspaper. However, instead of the sign name represtenting each horoscope, a numder did. Students were then asked to pick the number of the horoscope that most accurately described their day. If the number of the horoscope that they chose matched up with what their actual zodiac sign was, they marked it as a "hit". If the number did not match up, they marked it as a "miss". So what did Samfield's students' study show? The students' experiment came up with 21 hits out of 246 tries, or about 1 hit for every 12 tries. This would mean that astrological horoscopes were inaccurate an overwhelming majority of the time. (CCCIIITTTEEE)
Aside from studies being done to disprove the application of astrology, there is also evidence that the system itself is flawed. To explain: The zodiac is divided into twelve equal parts called "signs". Each sign is represented by one of the twelve constellations and as astrologers say, the sun is "in" each sign for roughly thirty days. "According to this table, a person born November 10 is born under the sign of Scorpio the Scorpion. But when we look at the night sky on November 10, the Sun is not in the constellation Scorpius - it's in Libra the Scales." (CCCIIITTTEEE) This brings forth a problem that can be explained by something called "precession". Precession is the gravitational influence that the Sun and Moon have on the Earth's axis, and it is responsible for the flaw with the signs. Since about 2,200 years ago - when the signs were determined - the constellations have shifted almost 25°. Most modern astrologers will probably dismiss the impact of precession and will tell you that it's the signs that are important, not the constellations. But, without the constellations, where do the signs get their magical powers? (CCCIIITTTEEE) This flaw gives rise to countless questions like this one, as it should. How can one believe in something when there is so much evidence to discredit it? To understand why astrology continues to hold a wide band of followers, one needs to understand it's history.
Historical Background:
With all of the research and studies stating that astrology has no scientific background, it can be hard to remember that the field does have a history that people can believe in. Within the history, facts and concrete knowledge can be found that showcase astrology's scientific basis.
The Greeks are usually credited with the birth of astrology. However, the mystical science can be traced all the way back to about 3000 B.C. It is in the very beginning of human civilization where astrology first took it's formation. So who should we really give the credit to? The Babylonians.
The Babylonians were the first to look to the sky and it's constellations for answers. "Babylonian priests were regularly called upon to use their connections with the gods to predict the future, and their two principle means of doing this were inspecting the liver of a specially-sacrificed animal and reading omens in the sky." (http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/skepticism/blfaq_astro_history.htm) So even in the beginning, astrology was an odd combination of religion, science, and a form of belief system. Along with being the first people to find an oracular system in the sky, they were also the ones to create the zodiac calendar that is still in use today. They divided the zodiac into twelve parts and assigned a constellation named after an animal or human to each of the parts. This created what we call "signs". As the Earth goes around it's usual orbit, the Sun would appear to pass through each of the twelve signs. The babylonians then applied this to the twelve month calendar they had created, and the zodiac calendar was born. So if someone was born on December 12th, they would say that the sun is "in" the zodiac sign Sagittarius. Although an odd field, Astrology became very popular and so began the spread.
The Greeks took a hold of what astrology was and ran with it. "They (The Greeks) evolved the belief that the position of the sun and the planets also had an effect on a person's life and what future events would happen to them can be predicted based upon their location." (http://horoscope.findyourfate.com/horoscope-history.htm) For example, while the Sun was "in" the zodiac sign Taurus the Bull, the Greeks would perhaps make the assumption that people would be hard to deal with or stubborn. Or maybe that hard times are to come. This is where we see astrology evolving into what we know it as today.
After the Greeks, astrology spread to the Arabs and Eqytians and before long, the whole world. Every place, adding it's own touch or spin on the field.
Believers:
It has been estimated that 84 million people in America alone believe in astrology. For a field that has so much criticism, it is nevertheless popular with the public. It has a vast number of followers that just keeps growing. So, why do people believe in astrology? According to astrologist, Michael E. Bakich, there are five reasons:
1. From a psychological standpoint, astrology has a strong appeal.
2. Astrology provides a way out for those who hate to make decisions.
3. Those who practice astrology often feel in possession of secret, esoteric knowledge.
4. Astrology is available to answer the perplexing questions of everyday life.
5. The strongest reason for astrology's persistence is money.
Astrology's psychological appeal is geared towards people who take an interest in learning about themselves. And since this is known as the "me" generation, that accounts for a large amount of people in this world. Horoscopes are usually equipt with a personality description for each of the astrological signs. For example, those under the sign of Leo are generally said to be powerful, confident, and ambixious. They sound like pretty good characteristics, don't they? People love to hear positive things about themselves and astrology puts into words what people think about themselves in their heads and that's what draws most people in.
Another appealing aspect of believing in astrology would be believing that decisions could simply be based on astrological observations. Instead of having the burden of making difficult decisions by one's self, astrology's believers look to the sky for guidance. As an example, say your two friends were in an argument. Both friends want you to side with them, and you don't know what to do. Well, instead of making that decision on your own, you read your horoscope for that day and it happens to mention something about nuetrality. So you decide, with the help of astrology, to stay out of the fued. A hard decision just got a lot easier and that is what some find most useful in believing in astrology.
For some, the belief in Astrology makes them feel as if they hold some secret truth about the universe. For these people, the belief in astrology fills a sort of religious void. This is why it is important to consider other aspects of the field other than it's scientific background. If someone was to criticize one's religion choice of Christianity for example, saying that it wasn't real based on it's scientific background, we would deem that person completely insensitive and unaccepting. This has to hold true for astrology as well, as it is a belief system to some of it's followers.
Astrology also offers to it's followers a system to answer all of life's perplexing question. More than often, business, family, and relationship issues are addressed in horoscope readings. Most readings will suggest what business ventures to take for each of the signs. Astrology also gives insight to family life and instead of choosing a spose for yourself, your horoscope narrows down your options based on what signs would be compatable with your own. This is reason enough for some to believe in astrology.
Another contributing factor to astrology's popularity is all of the money being poured into the field. Astrologers that get paid six figures a year to read the stars and make predictions, thousands of books are being sold, horoscope readings fly off the shelves, and it adds up. For some, this is what gives people a reason to believe in astrology. If you can invest money into it, then it must be real.
Results/Findings:
To better understand astrology, one must not only take into account the research that has been done to dismiss it's scientific basis, but other aspects as well. After exploring some of these other aspects, one will realize that although a majority of scientists agree that astrology is a hoax, people continue to support it. This shows that the emphasis must not be put on the factuality of astrology, but on the people who believe in it and why they do. I, myself have realized this and have conducted a survey of my own to illustrate this point.
When thirty Bloomsburg University students were asked, "do you believe in astrology?", the results were as follows:
Eighty percent of the polled students believe in astrology. This shows that like the research suggests, it is a popular field.
On the subject of why people believe in the field, Bloomsburg students responded:
As illustrated above, the most popular reasons to believe in astrology were to learn about one's self, to answer life questions, and to fill a religious void.
The most number of people stated that they believe in astrology to learn more about themselves. This is easily understandable because this generation is referred to as the "me" generation. One quality of a person in the "me" generation is taking an interest in yourself, and since astrology is very personality focused, it comes as no surprise that a great number of people believe in the field for that reason alone.